


Salvation

by You_Betcha_I_Ship_It



Category: The Royals (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M, Flashbacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 05:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14742536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/You_Betcha_I_Ship_It/pseuds/You_Betcha_I_Ship_It
Summary: Robert and Willow are on their way to their wedding reception, and they both take time to reflect on their conversation in the church, the conversation that changed everything for them.





	Salvation

**Author's Note:**

> *Normal text refers to the present   
> *Italics indicate flashbacks to events before the wedding  
> *POV toggles back and forth between Robert and Willow. I hope it’s clear

 

 

The car door slammed shut and cut off the cheers of the crowd. Robert and Willow sat in the back seat in amiable silence taking in the fact that they were now married- husband and wife, King and Queen of England. Willow glanced over at Robert and reached for his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. 

 

Robert looked over at his new bride’s smiling face and then down at their clasped hands. He brought her palm to his face and kissed it gently. Robert then looked down at the new rings that adorned their left hands and couldn't believe that this incredible woman was now his forever. 

 

He turned to gaze out the window at the thousands of people waving and cheering on the new Royal couple. Robert waved back as the car made its way from the church and through the crowd of elated faces on its way to the reception. It was in this moment that Robert got lost in his thoughts, mulling over the conversation that changed the outcome of his wedding day and his future path.

 

\------

 

_ Robert walked determinedly up the steps of the church with his father’s words ringing in his ears. _

 

**_“You know where your salvation lies. She can save you my son. When you forget who you are, in spite of what you think you’ve made yourself, that's the way back for you….You can have both, love and the crown, or you can have none if you don't change your mind and your heart...Regardless, don't diminish her light with your darkness. You're better than that.”_ **

 

_ Robert replayed these words over and over again in his head as he walked through the church. It was as if a light had finally been turned on, and he could see for the first time all of the mistakes he had made, and he knew his father was right. He had forgotten who he was, and he was running out of time to fix things. Robert’s only hope for redemption was Willow. He just had to make her understand, and to prove to her that he was worth saving.  _

 

_ He slowed his pace as he walked over to where Willow was standing. Robert’s breath caught in his chest as he looked at her. She was looking around the empty church and hadn’t quite noticed him enter just yet, and he took these brief moments to drink her in. The afternoon sunlight poured through the stained glass windows and danced across Willow’s face highlighting the chocolate brown of her eyes. The warmth of the soft rays illuminated the satin of her wedding gown causing her to look truly ethereal.  _

 

_ He was transfixed, but when he spoke the spell was broken, and he was brought back to the reality of why he was here. _

 

_ “You look beautiful,” Robert said softly. Willow’s head was drawn forward and out of her reverie at the sound of his voice.  _

 

_ “You’re not supposed to see me yet,” she said solemnly. _

 

_ Robert hesitated slightly, “We need to talk.” _

 

_ Willow nodded almost imperceptibly, then turned and walked over to alcove where she had been sitting only moments before. She gathered up the skirt of her gown and slowly sat down, nervously smoothing out the non existent creases in her dress. _

 

_ Robert followed her over to the alcove stopping an appropriate distance in order to give her space. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Willow waited patiently for him to speak. _

 

_ “I'm not quite sure where to begin,” Robert started. “We didn't really end things well the last time we spoke, and I couldn't go into our wedding without speaking to you first, making things right. I've spent all day thinking about us, about the crown, all of it. And I've realized that I've made so many mistakes since I returned from the island...It's time for me to be honest with you and myself.” _

 

_ Willow looked up at him and urged him to continue. _

 

_ “I've been heading down a dangerous path. My darker impulses have led me to make decisions that have hurt my country, my family... you,” Robert admitted. _

 

_ He let out a breath and raked a hand through his hair anxiously. _

 

_ “With every decision I made I believed I was doing the right thing.” Robert sighed and continued, “I've been convincing myself that I knew what was best for everyone.” _

 

_ Robert leaned against the wall of the church and looked up towards the ceiling. _

 

_ Willow was silent and closed her eyes for a brief moment.  _

 

_ “You know, Robert, I've always seen the good in you. I know your intentions haven't been bad. You never intended to harm the country or your family. You love them and want to protect them,” She paused. “But just because  _ you _ believe what you're doing is right doesn't mean it is right. You may be king, but that doesn't mean that you can do no wrong.” _

 

_ “I know,” he murmured. “I'm not proud of the man or the king I've turned into.” He rubbed his hand roughly over his face in frustration. _

 

_ “I just don't understand what caused you to lose your way. Did the power just become too much for you, is that it?” Willow asked, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. _

 

_ “I haven't been thinking rationally for a long time. I've been blinded by my anger and resentment towards my father, and I've been making decisions just to spite him, to best him,” Robert admitted, ashamed. _

 

_ Willow looked at him questioningly. “I don't understand. I thought that you had a close relationship with your father?” _

 

_ “For a long time I did. I looked up to him, and respected him immensely. But then everything changed the day before I left…” Robert trailed off, and a glazed look overtook his face as he got lost in memories of the past. _

 

_ “We sat there playing chess like we had done my entire life, and then suddenly, out of nowhere it seemed, my father told me that I would never make a great King. I had too much hubris he said. He didn't think that I had what it took to be a true king, so he told me that he was going to disband the monarchy.” _

 

_ Robert’s eyes pooled with tears with that admission. _

 

_ “That was the last conversation I ever had with my father. And ever since I returned from the island, that conversation has been on a constant loop in my mind, taunting me. And every time I hear those words in my head, I’ve tried harder and harder to prove to my father that he was wrong about me.” _

 

_ He was pulled out of the past as Willow spoke. _

 

_ “I had no idea he told you that,” Willow murmured. _

 

_ Robert turned to look at Willow. _

 

_ “I've never said it out loud before...” Robert whispered, his voice tinged with sadness. _

 

_ Robert took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. _

 

_ Willow hesitantly reached out for his hand. _

 

_ “It hurt,” Robert started, “to have my father have so little faith in me, to not even give me a chance. I mean I was born to be king, raised for it everyday of my life. I embraced the weight of the crown. I studied, practiced, listened to every word of advice from my father. It was my destiny, and within the span of one conversation my father took my entire future away from me.” _

 

_ Robert started to pace back and forth in front of Willow. _

 

_ “When I came back from the island, I was given a second chance to be king. I was given a chance to do better and honor my father’s legacy. Yet all I could think about was the fact that my father had planned to destroy 1000 years of history and tradition because he thought that little of me.” _

 

_ Robert paused as a tear fell, and he hastily swept it away in embarrassment. _

 

_ He stood up straighter and continued. “I couldn't accept his assessment of me, and so my anger and darkness only grew. I thought I knew better than him, that I could prove him wrong. Every decision I made was to show my father that I was the king that everyone wanted and everyone needed.” Robert shook his head in exasperation. _

 

_ “There was that damn hubris my father warned me about. How ironic. By trying to prove him wrong, I became the exact man and the king he said I would become.” _

 

_ Willow stopped him there. “I can see that you've been holding onto these feelings for a long time. I just wish you'd come to me sooner and confided in me. I'm supposed to be the person you can trust, your partner. We could have worked through it together. Better choices could have been made...” She trailed off shaking her head. _

 

_ Robert agreed. “I know. I'm sorry. I don't trust people easily, so I shut them out, and I try to control everything. I told myself that every choice, every decision was necessary and that you didn't need to know the details. But deep down I can now admit that I kept things from you because I knew you would disapprove. By not telling you, I could pretend that I was making the right choices.”  _

 

_ Willow moved closer to him and sought out his eyes. _

 

_ “Why tell me all this now, right before our wedding?” She asked. _

 

_ Robert smiled slightly and replied, “You told me no more secrets or lies. So I’m trying. I just want you to understand, to know that I now recognize where I've gone wrong. I want to do better…” _

 

_ Robert reached out to caress the side of Willow’s face. _

 

_ “I told you once that you make me want to be a good man. Your light, your belief in me means everything, and with you by my side I know that I can be the great man you've seen glimpses of. I don't want a life without you, and I know if I don't change, I will most certainly lose you.” _

 

_ “So, what now?” Willow asked pointedly. “Your apologies and realizations can only fix so much. You are full of lovely words, but at the end of the day, they are only words, and I don't know if I can trust your words.” _

 

_ Willow turned her back to him then not wanting him to see her cry. _

 

_ Robert grabbed her arm gently and turned her back towards him. He cupped her face between his hands and said, “Words are not enough. I understand that. That's why I came here to find you to also tell you that it's time for me to take action, to right the wrongs that I've made.” _

 

_ Willow still looked apprehensive. _

 

_ Robert then took two envelopes out of his left breast pocket and handed them to Willow. Inside the first was a signed royal decree reinstating parliament, effective immediately.  _

 

_ “I want to rule the right way, with you by my side as my partner,” Robert said wistfully. “My father once told Len to choose love and to be great. I want the same. I want you and the crown. I don't deserve either unless I change, but I don't know that I can do that without you, Willow. You are my salvation, the light that compels me to do better. You have been since the moment I met you.” _

 

_ Robert then got down on his knees in front of her and held Willow’s hand against his heart.  _

 

_ “I want to prove to you that I am committed to becoming a better man. Reinstating parliament is just a start. You are the most important thing to me. The crown is meaningless without you by my side.” _

 

_ Willow opened the second envelope to see a signed statement of abdication.  _

 

_ She looked at Robert questioningly. _

 

_ “In an hours time I will be waiting for you at the end of the aisle ready to become your husband. Whether or not I will be your king is up to you. I will abdicate the throne if that's what it takes to prove to you that I love you and that I'm committed to changing. I can't do this without you, any of it.”  _

 

_ By this point Willow was a mess of tears. Robert got up off his knees and bridged the gap between them. _

 

_ “You don't have to trust my words. Trust my actions. Trust in us,” Robert said. _

 

_ Willow was rendered speechless. _

_ “Robbie...I,” Willow sputtered. _

 

_ Robert stopped her with a firm but gentle kiss on her lips.  _

 

_ “Just take this time and think over what I've said.” Robert then tucked a loose strand of hair back behind Willow's ear.  _

 

_ He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers and whispered, “I don't deserve your trust, but I hope this proves that I am willing to do whatever it takes to earn it back. Let me prove to you, my personal sorting hat, that I really am a Gryffindor, or at least I'm trying to be.” His voice cracked slightly with those last words. _

 

_ Robert let go of her then and turned to leave. _

 

_ Willow looked up to say something, but Robert had already walked out of the church leaving her to decide their fate.  _

 

_ \------ _

 

Willow waved at the Royal subjects as they passed by in a blur. These people weren't just Royal subjects, but her royal subjects now. She, Wilhelmina Henstridge was the queen of England. And this complicated, strong, broken man was now her husband and her King. This day had been a whirlwind in so many ways. It definitely did not go according to plan, but she was grateful for that. 

 

…

 

It appeared that they were getting closer to their destination as there were fewer cheering people with every bend they rounded. Willow took these fleeting moments to think back over this day that had changed her life forever.

 

\-----

 

_ Willow walked through the church pondering the wedding that was going to take place in a matter of hours. The church was quite beautiful as was her dress, and everything about this day really. Yet Willow had knots in her stomach. Today was the day that she was to expose the king, her fiance’. Today England and the monarchy would change forever. With her words she could destroy it all, destroy the Henstridge family completely . _

 

_ Yesterday when Robert spoke to her about the blackout and his being the one voice to unite them all, it quite frankly scared her. She didn't recognize that man in front of her. He was cold, calculating, and tyrannical. This wasn't the man she had grown to love.  _

 

_ So, with her fear and anger fueling her, she had told the queen and the rest of the family that she couldn't marry Robert. The things he was saying, the things he had done were more than just concerning. Everyone agreed that he had to be stopped. The plan was for Willow to expose his deeds to the world during her vows. This was the plan, and everyone had a part to play. _

 

_ But as Willow walked the length of the church on her wedding day, she had doubts about this plan. She had seen the family’s disdain for Robert quite clearly. They did not seem to see a shred of humanity left in him. They were all so quick to damn him, yet no one took the time to talk to him or try to understand him. _

 

_ Willow had never felt so torn in her life. Objectively Willow knew that Robert had done some terrible things and continued to keep secrets from her. She knew that he had a dark side, but she just wished she could understand why he had done the things he had. Willow couldn't reconcile this Robert with the one she’d gotten to know over the last few months.  _

 

_ That Robert was an inspiration to his people; he was kind, thoughtful, and vulnerable. He was the first man who actually listened to her and truly saw her for who she was. He was a powerful king, yet with her he was ever so gentle and patient. It was all too easy to fall in love with him. With him it just...felt right. They fit. _

 

_ So, when Willow thought of that side of Robert, she didn't think she could stand in front of the world and expose him. It would hurt too much. But, was love blinding her to the truth? Everyone else seemed so convinced he was this evil man, that he didn't genuinely love her. Willow felt so conflicted, like she was being pulled into two very different directions. Listen to her head or follow her heart? If only there was a sign to show her what the right thing to do was. _

 

_ Then there he was. Robert was standing in front of her asking her to talk, and she knew that this conversation would determine what she would do. _

 

_ \----- _

 

_ Robert seemed almost as nervous as she was as he readied himself to talk to her. He seemed different too, more vulnerable than she had ever seen him. Willow tried to ready herself, protect herself from the manipulations, the excuses she knew she could expect from Robert. He was always so good at saying the right thing then doing the wrong thing afterwards. She needed to be sure what he was saying was the truth before she could allow herself to marry him and betray the rest of the family. _

 

_ Willow did her best to quietly listen to what he had to say, to really try to understand him. Robert opened up to her more than he had ever done before. He ripped his heart out of his chest and laid it at her feet giving her the power to either protect it or crush it.  _

 

_ Willow wasn't sure who or what prompted this wake up call, these revelations, but she was so relieved that he had come to his senses on his own. With each passing day, Willow had seen Robert continue to go further down this dark path, and she didn't know how to stop him when he couldn't see the error of his ways.  _

 

_ But when Robert helped her to understand him, and asked for her help in finding his way back to the man he wanted to be, she had hope. Then Robert handed her those envelopes, and she knew that he was ready to change his path and make amends. He loved her. He was willing to sacrifice all of the power, the prestige, the influence, the life he'd prepared for all his life just for her. This was the man she fell in love with. This was the man who she knew could do so much good if he were shown the right path. Willow knew right then and there what she was going to do.  _

 

_ \----- _

 

_ An hour later and the wedding of the century was about to begin. Willow waited patiently for the orchestra to begin, and as she stood there with her veil draped over her face, bouquet in hand, she took the envelope that held Robert’s intent to abdicate, and she held it over one of the many candles that adorned the church. The fire licked the corner of the envelope, and she watched as the flame engulfed it and turned it to ash. _

 

_ The orchestra began and the angelic voices of the choir echoed through the hallowed halls. It was time. Willow slowly began her descent down the aisle. She looked around the church, and all eyes were on her. The guests were watching, all of England and the world were watching. _

 

_ With every step she was brought closer to a new chapter in her life. Willow looked to the left and handed her bouquet to her mother who wore a strained smile on her face. She then looked to her right to see Eleanor, Jasper, Helena, and Liam all staring intently at her willing her to go through with the plan. Their eyes pleaded with her, and for a moment she felt guilty for what she was about to do. _

 

_ Willow stopped at the altar and turned to face her fiance’. He lifted his hands to grasp her veil and gently pulled it up and over her face. His eyes met hers, and he smiled warmly at her. The ceremony continued, and Robert recited his vows, and Willow looked at him pensively. _

 

_ Willow was then asked if she would take Robert as her husband, and she took a moment’s pause and looked Robert in the eyes. His smile faltered a bit as he looked at her expressionless face wondering if she would say no to a life with him. He searched her face for any indication of what she was thinking. _

 

_ Then Willow’s face broke out into an elated smile, and she nodded her head, “I do.” _

 

_ With these words Robert’s face lit up, and his eyes brimmed with tears. _

 

_ With their eyes trained solely on each other, they heard the officiant declare, “I now pronounce you husband and wife, man and woman, King and Queen. You may now kiss your bride.” _

 

_ Robert happily obliged, and leaned forward and gave his new bride a soft kiss filled with love and hope for the future. _

 

_ \------ _

 

In a few moments they would pull up to the reception to celebrate their nuptials. Before they did, Willow broke the silence in the car.

 

“Thank you for finding me today and finally confiding in me,” Willow said. “Before you walked into that church, I wasn't sure if I could actually go through with marrying you,” Willow admitted.

 

“I know,” Robert said. “Leading up to the wedding, I watched every person I cared about lose faith in me. I saw it in all of your eyes. I saw anger, hurt, disgust, sadness.” 

 

Robert turned to face her fully in the backseat. “I had a lot of time to think about things the last few days. I came face to face with many of my demons, and I just knew that I had to stop. I needed to try and fix everything I ruined. I wasn't sure what would happen after I spoke to you earlier, but I had hope that you would give us chance, give me a chance to make things right. I hope I can do the same with my family.”

 

Willow then leaned forward and caressed his cheek and his eyelids fluttered closed.

 

“We are a team now,” she said. “Together we will make things right.”

 

Robert opened his eyes and smiled and then pulled her face close to his and kissed her slowly and passionately. 

 

They pulled apart as the car came to a stop, and the driver announced that they had arrived. Robert got out of the car and made his way around to Willow's side, and helped her out of the car.

 

Robert looked at Willow adoringly. “How did I get so lucky? You're brilliant you know that?”

 

“Of course I do,” she deadpanned. “I'm a Ravenclaw, remember?”

 

Robert threw back his head and laughed loudly. “Right. How could I forget?”

 

He took Willow's hand in his and led her up the stairs to the reception doors.

 

“Come on, love,” he started. “Let's go in there and get my girl some wedding cake.”

 

Willow's eyes lit up at that, and she smiled brightly. 

 

Two doorman opened the doors for the Royal couple, and Robert bent down and swept Willow off of her feet and into his arms.

 

Willow squealed in surprise and wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck.

 

“Here we go, your  _ majesty _ ,” Robert announced. “Ready?” He asked.

 

Willow nodded, and Robert walked them through the double doors and into the beginning of their new life.

 

\-----

 

_ THE END _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> *I hope you all enjoyed my take on Robert and Willow’s big day! I apologize if it was a bit long winded, but I felt like there was a lot to get into :)


End file.
